1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bags with anti-theft functions and, more particularly, to a bag with an anti-theft function which is used to store various articles and, especially, temporarily store valuables (a wallet, a cellular phone, a camera, a watch, etc.) in a crowded place, for example, an airport waiting room, a water play area such as a beach or a water park, etc., and is configured such that the stored valuables or the bag itself can be prevented from being stolen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in water play areas such as beaches or water parks which are crowded, bags for water play are used with the purpose of temporarily storing various kinds of valuables (wallets, cellular phones, cameras, watches, clothes, etc.) while users play in the water.
Given the purpose of storing various kinds of valuables, such bags for water play are waterproofed on inner or outer surfaces thereof to prevent water from entering the bags. Moreover, bags for water play are preferably provided with a safety device to minimize the risk of being lost or stolen.
However, bags for water play are made of light synthetic resin, because they must be superior in portability given the purpose for use. Therefore, there is a certain limit to the application of an existing anti-theft device for typical bags used for water play environments.
For example, a bag locking device which can be used as a bag for water play was proposed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0527165 (Registration date: Nov. 1, 2005). The bag locking device of No. 10-0527165 is applied to a bag which includes a bag body that defines a storage space therein and is provided with a zipper. The bag locking devices includes a pair of coupling holes which are formed in a bag body on symmetrical opposite sides of the zipper at a position adjacent to a slider of the zipper when the zipper is closed, and a locking means which is bound to the bag body through the coupling holes so as to restrict the movement of the slider and maintain the closed state of the zipper. With a relatively simple structure, the zipper provided on the opening of the bag can be closed and the storage space can be locked. Therefore, the bag is convenient to use and handle and can be produced at low cost.
As such, the bag locking device of No. 10-0527165 has a structure capable of locking the zipper that openably closes the opening of the bag. The separate locking means locks the zipper to prevent an unauthorized person from opening the bag. Thus, this conventional device can somewhat prevent valuables stored in the bag from being stolen. However, this conventional device is problematic in that there is no means for preventing an unauthorized person from fleeing with the whole bag without attempting to open the bag.
Particularly, in water play areas such as beaches or water parks, users often leave bags for water play, e.g., around lounge chairs or other places. Therefore, an event in which an unauthorized person flees with the whole bag frequently occurs. Given the case where an unauthorized person flees with the whole bag, the bag locking device of No. 10-0527165 that has the structure capable of locking only the zipper cannot completely prevent bag theft.
In an effort to overcome the above problems, techniques for preventing the whole bags from being stolen were proposed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1992-0016056 (Publication date: Sep. 24, 1992), Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-1996-0000243 (Publication date: Jan. 17, 1996), and Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1998-0000250 (Publication date: Mar. 30, 1998). In these conventional techniques, a wireless remote control means is used in such a way that in emergency conditions, a user remotely operates a shock generation device using a remote control transmitter, or when the bag moves away from the remote control transmitter by a predetermined distance, the shock generation device is automatically operated, thus helping the user recover the bag that has been stolen.
However, in the conventional techniques which use anti-theft electronic devices, e.g., having an alarm generation function, the anti-theft electronic devices are typically installed on the bags with being exposed to the outside. Therefore, it is substantially difficult for these techniques to be applied to bags for water play. That is, in places where the bags for water play are placed, there is a lot of water or moisture to which electronic devices are prone to be damaged. If the bags with the conventional anti-theft electronic devices are placed in places where a lot of water or moisture is present, the anti-theft electronic devices may malfunction because water or moisture permeates electronic circuits.